Chad Dougherty

Michael Childs is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. He received his Juris Doctorate from South Texas College of Law, with a focus on civil litigation. Mr. Childs first came to the firm in 1996 as a law clerk and became an associate in November 1996. He has over fourteen years of extensive experience with complex family matters. As a litigator, his representation has included divorce, disputed property valuations and divisions of pro...

Some cases are complex because of the mountains of ​evidence at issue; others because of the technical complexity of the industry involved. Either way, John Deis has a knack for distilling his cases down to the core issues and clearly presenting his client’s side to judges and juries. Mr. Deis once spent four days living aboard an oilrig offshore of Libya in order to understand how various equipment worked and the crew's performance. This was key to disproving his opponent’s conte...

Jared Caplan has spent nearly two decades representing clients in the construction and oilfield industries. His multi-faceted experience ranges from trusted advisor on business operations to his successful prosecution and defense of multimillion-dollar litigation matters. Jared’s experience includes dispute resolution, contract disputes, toxic tort exposures, insurance coverage matters, personal injury, wrongful death, property damage and premises liability. He has successfully handled ...

Nick Spiliotis is a partner in the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, where he counsels employers regarding a broad range of workplace issues. He is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Nick’s practice crosses multiple industries, representing clients in the oil and gas, restaurant and hospitality, banking, maritime, manufacturing, and construction arenas. He acts as a strategic advocate who seeks to minimize the possib...

John D. Surma is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. John D., who practices law in Houston, Texas, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Steve D. Kesten is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law. Steve D., who practices law in Houston, Texas, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Steve D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Kelly D. Brown has practiced environmental, health, and safety (EHS) law since 1991, and is a shareholder in the firm’s EHS Section. Kelly’s legal practice is a broad-based one as he handles EHS-related litigation, transactional matters, remediation projects, and compliance counseling. Kelly defends corporate clients in various personal injury and toxic tort lawsuits and administrative proceedings brought by governmental agencies including the Texas Commission on Environmental Qua...

Cory Itkin has established a reputation as one of the most aggressive and prepared trial lawyers in the country. His experience includes maritime accidents, trucking accidents, plant explosions, and other high-stakes personal injury cases. Mr. Itkin has won verdicts and settlements for clients in more than two dozen states. He also obtained favorable results in the high-profile litigation involving families who lost loved ones or workers who were injured in the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion ...

John Eddie Williams “Johnny is going to be a lawyer,” his mother used to tell people. “She always admired attorneys and I think she planted an early seed in my head,” John Eddie Williams, Jr. Founder and Managing Partner for Williams Kherkher Hart Boundas Law Firm, LLP recalls. “My father and grandfather were union longshoremen so I was raised in a strong union household. For our summer vacations we would go down to Miami for the yearly Longshoremen Conference an...

Brittany Sakowitz is a corporate partner in the Houston and Austin offices of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, concentrating her practice on mergers and acquisitions and private equity. Brittany advises private equity and venture capital investors, their portfolio companies, and other public and private companies across a broad range of industries, including infrastructure, energy and energy-related services, renewables, technology and digital infrastructure. She primarily counsels clients on public...